Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers

CCPDT – Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers (established in 2001), “this independent, non-affiliated certifying organization was originally created by the Association of Pet Dog Trainers” and the CPDT exam was developed “by a task force of approximately 20 nationally-known dog training professionals and behaviorists”. “The CCPDT is the first national (and is international as well) testing and certification program for professional pet dog trainers.” “The CCPDT’s certification program is based on humane training practices and the latest scientific knowledge related to dog training. Competence and continued growth in training practices is promoted through the recertification of qualified professionals.”

Mission – “The Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers serves to establish and maintain a recognized level of competence in dog training by certifying professional trainers through criteria based on continuing education, experience, and standardized testing. Through this standardized certification process, the vocation of pet dog training will attain a recognized level of professional excellence worldwide.”
The Guiding Principles of the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers: “To develop a recognized standard of proficiency and scientific exactitude in the profession of pet dog trainers through an independent, not for profit certification process of standardized testing; to maintain a current, empirically validated, certification test that is psychometrically sound, based on science content in the field, and independent of commercial influence; to recognize documented training experience as valid, functional criteria relevant to the certification process; to encourage growth in and fluency of knowledge in the field, and thus foster a link in the community of trainers, academics and pet professionals; to benefit animal and human welfare by promoting training strategies and methods based on humane practices as supported by current scientific research; to promote and protect the CPDT designation as the publicly recognized credential of trainers committed to education, experience and professional excellence.”

The CCPDT is currently developing a new certification designation for dog behavior consulting, “given the natural growth in our industry from trainers only to behavior consultants” (Miranda Workman, President CCPDT) who are further qualified to work with serious and complex behavior issues such as aggression and anxiety.

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